How and why have Americans living at particular times and places used and transformed their environment? How have political systems dealt with conflicts over resources and conservation? This is the only major reference work to explore all the major themes and debates in the burgeoning field of environmental history. Humanity's relationship with the natural world is one of the oldest and newest topics in human history. The issue emerged as a distinct field of scholarship in the early 1970s and has been growing steadily ever since. The discipline's territory and sources are rich and varied and include climatic and geological data, court records, archaeological digs, and the writings of naturalists, as well as federal and state economic and resource development and conservation policy. Environmental historians investigate how and why natural and human-created surroundings affect a society's development. Merchant provides a context-setting overview of American environmental history from the precolonial land-use practice of Native Americans and concluding with twenty-first concerns over global warming. The book also includes a glossary of important concepts, people, agencies, and legislation; a chronology of major events; and an extensive bibliography including films, videos, CD-ROMs, and websites. This concise reference for students and general readers contains an accessible overview of American environmental history; a mini-encyclopedia of ideas, people, legislation, and agencies; a chronology of events and their significance; and a bibliography of books, magazines, and journals as well as films, videos, CD-ROMs, and online resources. In addition to providing a wealth of factual information, The Columbia Guide to American Environmental History explores contentious issues in this much-debated field, from the idea of wilderness to global warming.

Author Bio

Carolyn Merchant is the Chancellor's Professor of Environmental History, Philosophy, and Ethics at the University of California, Berkeley.

Part I: Historical Overview: Topics and Themes 1. The American Environment and Native-European Encounters, 1000-1875 2. The New England Wilderness Transformed, 1600-1850 3. The Tobacco and Cotton south, 1600-1900 4. Nature and the Market Economy, 1750-1850 5. Western Frontiers: The Settlement of California and the Great Plains, 1820-1930 6. Urban Environments, 1850-1960 7. Conservation and Preservation, 1785-1950 8. Indian Land Policy, 1800-1990 9. The Rise of Ecology, 1890-1990 10. The Era of Environmentalism, 1940-2000 Part II: American Environmental History A to Z: Agencies, Concepts, Laws, and People Part III: Chronology: An Environmental History Timeline Part IV: Resource Guide Visual Resources Electronic Resources Bibliographical Essay Bibliography

eBook Requirements

VitalSource Bookshelf ReaderMinimum System Requirements:

Windows 7/8, or Mac OS X 10.6 or above

Software Requirements:

eTextbooks and eChapters can be viewed by using the free reader listed below.

Be sure to check the format of the eTextbook/eChapter you purchase to know which reader you will need. After purchasing your eTextbook or eChapter, you will be emailed instructions on where and how to download your free reader.

Download Requirements:

Due to the size of eTextbooks, a high-speed Internet connection (cable modem, DSL, LAN) is required for download stability and speed. Your connection can be wired or wireless.

Being online is not required for reading an eTextbook after successfully downloading it. You must only be connected to the Internet during the download process.

Copying - Books that cannot be copied will show "Not Allowed." Otherwise, this will detail the number of times it can be copied, or "Allowed with no limits."

Printing - Books that cannot be printed will show "Not Allowed." Otherwise, this will detail the number of times it can be printed, or "Allowed with no limits."

Expires - Books that have no expiration (the date upon which you will no longer be able to access your eBook) will read "No Expiration." Otherwise it will state the number of days from activation (the first time you actually read it).

Reading Aloud - Books enabled with the "text-to-speech" feature so that they can be read aloud will show "Allowed."

Sharing - Books that cannot be shared with other computers will show "Not Allowed."

Min. Software Version - This is the minimum software version needed to read this book.

Suitable Devices - Hardware known to be compatible with this book. Note: Reader software still needs to be installed.

How and why have Americans living at particular times and places used and transformed their environment? How have political systems dealt with conflicts over resources and conservation? This is the only major reference work to explore all the major themes and debates in the burgeoning field of environmental history. Humanity's relationship with the natural world is one of the oldest and newest topics in human history. The issue emerged as a distinct field of scholarship in the early 1970s and has been growing steadily ever since. The discipline's territory and sources are rich and varied and include climatic and geological data, court records, archaeological digs, and the writings of naturalists, as well as federal and state economic and resource development and conservation policy. Environmental historians investigate how and why natural and human-created surroundings affect a society's development. Merchant provides a context-setting overview of American environmental history from the precolonial land-use practice of Native Americans and concluding with twenty-first concerns over global warming. The book also includes a glossary of important concepts, people, agencies, and legislation; a chronology of major events; and an extensive bibliography including films, videos, CD-ROMs, and websites. This concise reference for students and general readers contains an accessible overview of American environmental history; a mini-encyclopedia of ideas, people, legislation, and agencies; a chronology of events and their significance; and a bibliography of books, magazines, and journals as well as films, videos, CD-ROMs, and online resources. In addition to providing a wealth of factual information, The Columbia Guide to American Environmental History explores contentious issues in this much-debated field, from the idea of wilderness to global warming.

Author Bio

Carolyn Merchant is the Chancellor's Professor of Environmental History, Philosophy, and Ethics at the University of California, Berkeley.

Table of Contents

Part I: Historical Overview: Topics and Themes 1. The American Environment and Native-European Encounters, 1000-1875 2. The New England Wilderness Transformed, 1600-1850 3. The Tobacco and Cotton south, 1600-1900 4. Nature and the Market Economy, 1750-1850 5. Western Frontiers: The Settlement of California and the Great Plains, 1820-1930 6. Urban Environments, 1850-1960 7. Conservation and Preservation, 1785-1950 8. Indian Land Policy, 1800-1990 9. The Rise of Ecology, 1890-1990 10. The Era of Environmentalism, 1940-2000 Part II: American Environmental History A to Z: Agencies, Concepts, Laws, and People Part III: Chronology: An Environmental History Timeline Part IV: Resource Guide Visual Resources Electronic Resources Bibliographical Essay Bibliography

Digital Rights

eBook Requirements

VitalSource Bookshelf ReaderMinimum System Requirements:

Windows 7/8, or Mac OS X 10.6 or above

Software Requirements:

eTextbooks and eChapters can be viewed by using the free reader listed below.

Be sure to check the format of the eTextbook/eChapter you purchase to know which reader you will need. After purchasing your eTextbook or eChapter, you will be emailed instructions on where and how to download your free reader.

Download Requirements:

Due to the size of eTextbooks, a high-speed Internet connection (cable modem, DSL, LAN) is required for download stability and speed. Your connection can be wired or wireless.

Being online is not required for reading an eTextbook after successfully downloading it. You must only be connected to the Internet during the download process.

Copying - Books that cannot be copied will show "Not Allowed." Otherwise, this will detail the number of times it can be copied, or "Allowed with no limits."

Printing - Books that cannot be printed will show "Not Allowed." Otherwise, this will detail the number of times it can be printed, or "Allowed with no limits."

Expires - Books that have no expiration (the date upon which you will no longer be able to access your eBook) will read "No Expiration." Otherwise it will state the number of days from activation (the first time you actually read it).

Reading Aloud - Books enabled with the "text-to-speech" feature so that they can be read aloud will show "Allowed."

Sharing - Books that cannot be shared with other computers will show "Not Allowed."

Min. Software Version - This is the minimum software version needed to read this book.

Suitable Devices - Hardware known to be compatible with this book. Note: Reader software still needs to be installed.